Academic Communication Lesson 3 Pick up one handout from the front desk. (You will also need the handout “Strategy & Checklist…” distributed in Lesson 2) Please sit in pairs. You need exactly one partner. Website: http://staff.ustc.edu.cn/~acadcom

Summarizing your Paper As specified in last week’s homework, for this lesson you need a print-out of the paper you will present for your final exam. If you do not have one with you, think back to a paper you have read recently. Prepare a summary of your paper: answers to 5 questions plus extra as you want must be exactly 5 minutes long!

5-minute summary of Exam Paper In your summary, answer these questions: What is the research field and research area of this result? Is it experimental, theoretical, simulation, discovery…? In one sentence, what is the result? What is new about the result? Why is the result significant? (i.e. Why should we care about the result?) You can and should have other information in addition to the answers to the questions. E.g. When presenting your summary, you may point at tables and diagrams in the paper. Your presentation must be exactly 5 minutes long

How can you get good timing? Plan times as you prepare important or complicated things get more time simple things get less time Time yourself as you talk Know if you are going too slowly or too quickly. Have extra material ready if you need to use more time Decide what you could leave out or how you could say parts in a shorter way if you are running out of time

Checklist Part 2A: Main Points From 1F (pattern of organization) you have the main points of the Body 2A: Think more carefully State the points as best as you can in one sentence or phrase each

Checklist Item 2B: Working Outline Start simple Add details as you develop your presentation Eventually this will be a detailed planning outline with timing included

Working Outline Top Info Look at the example on the handout. For homework assignment you must give: Title Source and Date: the journal name (or other source, e.g. “my lab”) the date this research was done or published Author(s) [who] & Affiliation(s) [where] Who did the research? Where was it done? Central Idea: One sentence as specified in Lesson 2 Pattern of Organization: State the name of the pattern. (Give further info if the pattern is not one of the “big 4”.) NOTE: The “pattern” is not “all the bottom information”. The pattern is the logical order of the Body points.

Working Outline: Bottom part Copy points into this template of 3 sections: Introduction section Body section <point 1> <point 2> <possibly other points as chosen in 1F and 2A; the body should have 2, 3, or 4 points> Conclusion section

Example: Introduction Body Conclusion a. Zircon crystals and uranium-lead dating b. Oxygen isotope ratios c. Rounded surfaces Conclusion

Add some detail to Intro & Conclusion Introduction section Previous theory says solid surface 4.0 bya Zircon crystals say 4.4 bya Body section a. Zircon crystals and uranium-lead dating b. Oxygen isotope ratios c. Rounded surfaces Conclusion section Review: Zircons reliably dated to 4.4 bya Earth suitable for life earlier

Checklist 2C: Collect Info, Wording, & Ways to Explain Things Keep in mind: you may need extra information to use in answering questions Find simple explanations of complex stuff in encyclopedias (e.g. on Internet) and middle- school textbooks. Did you find something really good but don’t know where it will fit into your outline? Save it for later - your outline may change.

Checklist Section 3A, 3B 3A: Reminder: Update working outline as you go (Did you notice how the example working outline has changed on these slides?) 3B: Decide on timing for points in your working outline Plan! More time for important/complex Less time for simple points

Decide how to use your time for the 3 sections & main body points Introduction section [2:15] Earth’s first solid surface? Previous best answer Zircon crystals prove earlier surface Body section [5:30] a. [2:30] Zircon crystals and uranium-lead dating b. [2:00] Oxygen isotope ratios in zircons c. [1:00] Rounded surfaces on zircons Conclusion section [1:15] Review: Zircons reliably dated to 4.4 bya Earth suitable for life earlier

Work on Your Working Outline Decide on pattern Experiment? Discovery? Problem Solution? … Fill in bottom part of Working Outline main points in phrases or sentences Decide on Timing for Introduction section Body section Each major body point Conclusion section

Homework Write a working outline for your talk Email it to your teacher. (See course website to get your teacher’s email address.) Required: Top info: Title, source & date of publication, author(s), affiliation(s), central idea sentence, pattern of organization Detail: at least the “a., b., …” level for Intro, Body, and Conclusion sections For points, you may use phrases or full sentences (your choice) The timing for all 3 sections + Body points

Homework: All top info plus this level of detail in the bottom info Introduction [2:15] Question: First solid Earth surface when? Zircon crystals prove early Earth surface Body [5:30] [2:15] Zircon crystals and uranium-lead dating [2:00] Oxygen isotope ratios in zircons [1:15] Rounded surfaces of zircons Conclusion [1:15] Review: Zircons reliably dated 4.4 bya Earth suitable for life earlier

Your Working Outline must include a good Central Idea sentence! The central idea sentence is part of the “Top info” for a Working Outline one good sentence 20-40 words long Check carefully for spelling and grammar. Choose your words well and you will be able to say this statement of your central idea in your actual exam presentation.

Your email to me Send to your teacher by email. Subject line: “Working outline” Put your working outline in a document format as an attachment Good: “.doc”, “.docx”, “.rtf”, “.txt”, “.pdf” Bad: “.rar”, “.zip”, “.wps”, “.pages”

My reply to you Hopefully, a short one: Any other reply is bad. “Excellent”, “Very good”, “Good” Any other reply is bad. Longer replies tell you what is wrong and how to improve it.